Crystal Images
by Wackelda
Summary: Jareth recalls certain events having to do with a certain girl . . .


Author's Note: Okay, listen up. Um . . . I just wrote this to get it out of me system. It was lurkin' around in me head for a wee bit so I had to do it. Who knows? It could very well suck (having not been proofread by anyone but myself)! And for those of you who are die-hard Labyrinth fans, I hope I did you justice. I only started to get into the real swing of things, so, uh . . . this is me first and probably only Labyrinth fanfiction, so I just winged it. Comments- good or bad but preferably good- are appreciated and can be pointed in the direction of themihalkos@erols.com. Now, er, I'm gonna go chase some chickens . . . dance with some Fireys . . . hope you enjoy . . . 

Disclaimer: I don't believe I own Labyrinth or anything in reference to it . . . I probably would have found it lying around me house somewhere by now or something. And don't come sniffing around me door for money- I don't have it. I'm absolutely brassic over here! 

Crystal Images 

Jareth slowly awoke to the racket of goblins running amuck outside the castle. He grumbled to himself and pulled a pillow over his head not bothering to open his eyes. They seemed to have no respect at all sometimes. It was too early- didn't they know other creatures were still asleep? His subjects could be such a bother when they really wanted to. He grimaced underneath his pillow and sighed. He hadn't been up two minutes and already he was getting irritated. Very gradually, though, a grin made its way across his pale face as he remembered who he was with- his lovely mate, a beautiful young woman sleeping peacefully. He removed the pillow and rolled over onto his side. Eyes still closed, he reached an arm out to draw her to him. But he couldn't find anything. His hand felt something odd. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, staring at the empty spot next to him where his hand held nothing but sheets and blankets. For a moment, he panicked, but quickly calmed himself. Of course no one was there . . . no one had been there. The discovery for that single moment had given him a slight shock, but he easily regained his bearings. His heartbeat was steadily going back to normal as he shook his head, as if to get out any unwanted thoughts such as what had just happened. He shouldn't have been surprised- things like that had happened before. He flopped back onto his pillow and took a deep breath. It wasn't exactly a dream. Just a vivid thought or image that floated in and out of his mind, catching him when he least expected it. Who would be most alert if he or she had just awaken? It wasn't just when he was on the edge of conciousness, it could catch him whenever he was off-guard. For instance, he recalled a time not too long ago when he had been looking something up and wasn't getting very far. The frustration was enough to clog his head at that moment which was probably why he suddenly got the feeling that she was standing right next to him telling him to relax. Not only that, but the images were constantly in motion, always changing. Maybe because it was a way of showing him what might have happened. That how he figured it. And this had all started with a simple little sentence. "You have no power over me." The words that shattered his being. He had been so confident she would stay, his hopes raised high on that factor, then thrown to the floor. Jareth had admitted it to himself long before Sarah even got there- he loved her. He had watched her for some time before she even came to the Labyrinth. Her recitations had originally gotten his attention. Her grasp of an alternate world where goblins and other creatures of fantasy existed amused him and fascinated him with her accuracy. Her prolific imagination surprised him with its creativity. She probably wasn't even aware of it, but she had her own subtle powers as well- how could she have known that the Goblin King had fallen in love with her? He could see her sense of adventure along with her determination to meet a challenge, her courage. Although she was just sixteen, he easily observed that she was a beautiful young woman. What could he say? As much as he didn't particularly like to confess it- afterall, he was the Goblin King and someone being able to weaken him even slightly wasn't good for his reputation- she captivated him. He didn't believe in fate or destiny, but he sincerely thought that she was perfect for him, that she was the one who could match him. Of course, he knew it was hardly possible to bring her into his world. To have her, to love her, to be loved back . . . to show her her dreams and make them come true. There was a one in a million chance that he could get her into the Labyrinth. Miraculously, he got that one chance. Unfortunately, it was under difficult circumstances. To him, the Labyrinth was like a final test for her, but she had her own quest in mind. She refused to see his side of the situation, despite his generosity. Yes, he thought he had been rather generous! Everything he had mentioned to her: he took the baby, reordered time, turned the world upside-down . . . it was all for her. Yes, there hd been obstacles over the course of her journey, but he had always left a way to escape, no matter how discreet. When the cleaners went down the tunnel, he knew the panel in the wall opened. Did they think it was sheer luck it happened to cave in right when they were about to be crushed? And the peach! Did it harm her? No! All it did was give her amnesia and not even that serious. Oh, he could have been much more harsh, but he wasn't. He was simply living up to her expectations. A near-exhausting feat, but he was still offering her her heart's desires, offering the dream-like fantasy world over the harsh real world. Nonetheless, she chose reality. No matter the case, no matter what her decision was, in the end he just wanted her to be happy. She rescued her brother and went home, she had her new-made friends; she got what she wanted. Despite whatever he wanted for her, he couldn't help but feel, at the very least, disappointed; he couldn't say he was angry. He had wanted so badly for her to stay with him, to see his view of things. He had gotten a single opportunity, a once in a lifetime deal, and everything had failed miserably. He couldn't help but feel a stab of remorse winding its way through him. He knew he should move on, just like she had, but his conscience gnawed at him and refused to cooperate. He sighed heavily as he lay thinking about all of it. He gazed around his empty sleeping chamber, alone, eyeing everything. In one wall was a closet and a large fireplace with a polished oak mantle, down its sides carved swirlng patterns that interlocked with each other. The embers in its mouth glowed faintly after the night before's fire had died down. On the opposite wall was the door into the room, a door into his bathroom, and his bed, a king-size canopy type thing with black marble posts and headboard, thick navy blue blankets and white sheets adorning it. On another wall was a window that looked out over the Goblin City and the Labyrinth. Its opposite was invisible, covered by a wide, brown bookshelf of oak and an equally sized cabinet of the same material with a chair nearby. The bookshelf held on it encyclopedias of various types, old manuscripts on who knew what, books on many different subjects, normal and outlandish, and a few small, forgotten trinkets. And in the cabinet were several stories never told along with regular goings-on and some mere dreams. Jareth peered at the cabinet, then at the empty spot next to him. Looking at it, he propped himself up on his elbow. He gently stroked the rumpled sheets thinking about what it would have been like to truly have Sarah there with him. Sitting up and throwing the covers off of him, he decided it was finally time to get out of bed. He walked over to the cabinet on the far wall dressed in only his sleeping pants. A wave of his hand in front of the handles unlocked the doors and he pulled them open, their old hinges creaking. The picture in front of his mismatched eyes shimmered, blinding him momentarily in his state of semi-sleepiness. There were several shelves in the cabinet, each holding many crystals in their own gnarled little claw. Although they shimmered, each crystal was blank, but hid within its depths a secret image for the king's eyes only. Jareth randomly picked a crystal on an upper shelf from its claw. Sitting down in the chair, he balanced the crystal on his finger as a picture began to appear. He remembered this one- it was the ballroom. He watched the figures dancing within the crystal, talking and laughing and having a grand old time. Couples pranced about, most of the masked men leading the women, coats and dresses swishing with every movement. Then, in the midst of the gala, he saw Sarah looking around somewhat confused. She was absolutely radiant in her white ballroom gown and her dark brown hair pulled back, silver twine weaving through it nicely. She was looking for him, but she probably didn't even know why. She spied him in the middle of the room holding a mask up to his face. She attempted to reach him, but he disappeared before she could. He was playing a sort of hide-and-seek game with her without her knowing she was the seeker. He grinned at remembering how much he had enjoyed that. When she finally found him, he took her hand in his, wrapping one arm around her slim waist, and danced with her. They glided across the floor gracefully, attracting the attention of many spectators. He let the crystal fall into his palm as he leaned back in the chair, the sphere in his hand going blank again. He had created that image to distract her, and ended up distracting himself as well. He had let himself into the crystal, into that scenario. He was elated that he was there, and was even more so when he came face to face with Sarah. When he held her as they danced, looking down into her eyes, stepping fluently, he had thought he felt something between them. He had had the urge to kiss her right there, but ballroom formality didn't even allow them to get that close while dancing. And besides, she saw the time. Nonetheless, it was something he was never going to forget. He got up and placed the crystal back in the proper claw. He stood before the open cabinet for a moment, pondering which crystal to pick next. Deciding against troubling himself with guessing games, he waved his hand in front of the shimmering little globes. Each one darkened slightly, then became clear, every single one coming to life and displaying its image. Different things were going on all around- Fireys throwing limbs around, worms drinking tea, the ballroom party, he and Sarah lying in bed together just as the sun was coming up . . . yes, that had been from before when he had thought she was with him; it must have just gotten there. His eyes skimmed over all the shelves, noticing that Sarah was in a few of them. He concluded that she was probably in about a quarter of the crystals.. One scene in particular stood out among others. He gently plucked the crystal from its claw, cradling it in his hand. Watching the scene unfold, he sat in the chair once more. He remembered this one, too; it was a dream he had had a few weeks before and here it was again. This would have had to have been a few years into the future; she was too young for it now. It was already quite far into the dream, not much was left of it. He looked on in silenceas he saw Sarah sprawled beneath him in his bed, the covers shielding their bare skin. Her hips left the mattress as he fingered her, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly gaping. His gentle ministrations on her sensitive nub and vagina coaxed breathy whiimpers out of her, though no sound could penetrate the crystal. He took joy in watching her face as she was lost in the pleasure his fingers made. He withdrew his fingers from her wetness, feeling she was finally slick enough. Placing her hands above her head, he filled her in one smooth thrust. They began moving in unison with each other, slowly at first, then steadily speeding up. A jerking rock of their hips swiftened both of them, climaxing being their soul goal at the moment. Their breathing became shallow as did their movements. Suddenly, she cried out as her body spasmed with pleasure. She clenched around him, sending him over the edge as he cried out, his own body convulsing with sheer bliss. Her hands clutched at the pillow case as their bodies bucked against each other. He collapsed on top of her and let her hand go, rolling off after a moment and pulling her to him. Then the image faded as the dream ended. Needless to say, he woke up in a somewhat messy state the next morning. He practically unglued his eyes from the darkened crystal, shaking his head again to clear it. He continued to hold it, contemplating a little of it. It was merely a dream, something he didn't even have control over. In spite of that, he was glad- and slightly ashamed- that he had had it. Oh, but how he wished he could really feel her smooth skin against his, taste her soft flesh, touch her that intimately, make love to her . . . Jareth sighed and shook his head of thoughts again. That morning's little event was probably just a remnant of that dream. He placed the crystal in its claw and walked with purpose towards the bathroom, his arousal getting the best of him. Besides, if he didn't get out of there soon, Hoggle would come banging on the door asking if he was alright. Sure there was probably a way to get into her life by force, but he wouldn't even bother because he knew that would really stress her out. For now, though, he would live with the fact that Sarah simply didn't want him as a part of her life, no matter how much he was a foil to that. I'll move on . . . get over it, he thought. Maybe, if he was ever fortunate enough, he would encounter her again. And perhaps he could tell her or let her know somehow how he felt. It was very possible that there was a ay he just hadn't found . . . Afterall, things weren't always what they seemed in this place. 

-Wackelda themihalkos@erols.com 

"And that's what you're gonna get, lad. The strongest castle in these parts." "But I don't want it!" -a king and his son, the soon-to-be-married prince 


End file.
